


So it must be all around us, in all places, the right way to see more surprising things

by mielonpan



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Attempt at Humor, Growing Up Together, Kid Uzumaki Naruto, Light Angst, M/M, Teen Umino Iruka, The Secret World Of Arrietty AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27815878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mielonpan/pseuds/mielonpan
Summary: Another day had passed in the bloomed garden of the old mansion. Iruka was willing to show Naruto some tricks from their outdoor expedition, but an unexpected visit would soon change their little world.( naruto + the secret world of arrietty ! au )
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	So it must be all around us, in all places, the right way to see more surprising things

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to my dear friend aki for betaning (ily)

At the foot of a stone wall, there once stood an old mansion.

The woodland had grown lush all around it even that year, and greenery differed in varieties of trees and plants. First, there was the majestic magnolia tree, fully bloomed, welcoming visitors to the path to the house and on both sides, red photinia shrubs and rose bushes with abundant brambles were arranged in a row, outlining the property. Aromatic herbs, instead, were carefully arranged near the main entrance and varied between thyme, sage, mint, bay’s tree and more. Lavender had grown peacefully in a corner, accompanied by yellow broom’s flowers and daffodils; where it stood out both for its colour and the intense scent spreading everytime the wind caressed it. From the roof, ivy descended like a green waterfall, hiding the stains in the plaster among the leaves.

Somewhere around there, a huge crow nosedived from a tree and with that, its loud cawing broke the religious silence governing the green space. It caught Iruka’s attention; the bird landed abruptly near him, causing the young boy to hold firmly to the twig in the red leaves of photinia’s shrub. The crow gave one last loud cry before flapping its wings and resuming its interrupted flight.

Iruka stood wary. Brown eyes began to scan their surroundings, wondering what could have caused the bird to be so frightened of — his first guess was a cat who had decided to annoy it, as they themselves were curious about the world around them, and also wandered cautiously around Iruka and his small stature. He decided it was better to keep a careful distance, so Iruka slided softly on the leaves, letting some crickets run away as he walked by. He landed on the meadow to hide among the tufts of grass.

“ 'RUKA-SENSEI!”

He heard his name rumbling like a thunder, followed by small and quick steps. To his immense astonishment, a kid with hair as bright as sunflower petals and eyes of the same colour of forget-me-nots came running towards him. He carefully clambered up onto a near pebble, trying for some balance as not to fall nor drop the flowers from his tiny hands.

“Look! I found chamomile!”

He stood triumphantly in front of Iruka, waving two freshly-picked stems before his cheerful eyes.

“NARUTO!?”, Iruka called aloud the blond kid between his astonishment and anger. “Where did you–”

He checked over the child’s shoulders and all around, cautious, for any signs of danger. Only after making sure they were safe, he pinched the bridge of his own nose, rubbing the rough skin on the scar that crossed it. He then folded arms on his chest and shot the kid a grave look.

“What did I tell you about the outside?”

Naruto dropped his eyes, suddenly finding quite interesting what laid on his feet .

“... that it’s full of dangerous creatures.”

“ _And?_ ”

“And…”, a little pout appeared on his face. “And that we can be seen by humans... but there are no humans here, ‘Ruka-sensei!” Naruto whined and Iruka sighed quietly, closing his eyes. He refused to let his temper get the best of him, therefore he stared at the kid again. Those innocent and joyful eyes of his were now looking at him with worry. Naruto slid down from the pebble and tightened his hold on the stems.

“Are you mad?” he asked, peering up at Iruka.

Iruka’s glare softened, laying a hand on Naruto's shoulder as soon as he stooped down on his knees so he was at the kid’s same height.

“I’m not mad… I’m just concerned.”

Iruka actually knew, the hyperactive kid had grown tired of waiting. Naruto was bad at memorising the variety of plants; still he always worked hard, until he would fall asleep and drool all over the table. Just to be considered "useful" and not "only a kid" for Iruka’s standards, and gain his attention.

“I am aware of all your efforts in helping me out. But you have to be cautious and considerate of the outside world. Do you understand that?”

Naruto nodded once and vigorously with the two flowers following and Iruka gently smiled. “Careful with the chamomile, Naruto. Or we won’t have enough for the tea!” he chuckled.

“These should be enough for the next winter.” Iruka took a critical look approving the catch. “ _But._ ”

He shot a serious glare, “You cannot leave on your own and as you wish on the outside. We’ve already talked about it, Naruto. One day, the right moment when you could accompany me during the expeditions, it will come.”

“It will NEVER come, the moment for you to take me with you!” The child burst with an angry pout and, in the rush of crossing his arms, some pollen settled on his golden hair.

Iruka raised an eyebrow with fake doubt in his brown eyes, “Really? And here I was thinking that tonight it would be perfect for your first _borrowing_. What a pity…”

Naruto’s face brightened like a newborn star. “For real?” He looked at him full of hope, betraying the fear of rejection in his words.

Iruka ruffled his blond hair, “Only the first steps and a quick demonstratiomph–”

He didn’t have the time to finish his sentence when he was overwhelmed by a tight hug while a little cloud of pollen flew around them.

“ ‘RUKA-SENSEI! YOU’RE THE BEST!”

Iruka laughed heartily. “So, in the meantime, go wait for me at home. I just need a bay leaf and then we will begin the arrangements. Alright, Naruto?”

The blond kid shot him a large grin and moved aside from the hug. Although he was a little reluctant for the wait, he nodded energetically and followed Iruka’s instructions.

“Don’t be late, ‘Ruka-nii!” he shouted while he was running towards their hideout. Iruka waved at him, even though he was certain Naruto wouldn’t have seen it, too focused on the rise of the evening.

Iruka watched the kid running to the rusty iron grate that was hidden by a chipped clay vase, leading to their hideout. He checked for him as he got into the fissure, and only then he let a reassured sigh escape his lips. Iruka couldn’t help but worry for his safety even if the kid was growing up little by little before his eyes. Sure, he was proud of Naruto – and that was why there was no more time to waste. Now that he had promised the _borrowing_ to Naruto, he was meant to organise for their first expedition together. So he wiped out the pollen from his light beige clothes and got back to work.

Iruka clambered to the top of a pebble. The way to the bay tree wasn’t too brief at all — he had to run through the entire side of the mansion and turn the corner by the lavender’s spot. With extreme agility he took the momentum, crossing obstacles along the way: dry sticks, rocks, beetles. Iruka ran, he stretched. His fluid movements had matured over years and years of experience and familiarity with the landscape.

The bay tree was of average size; the ovoid leaves shaded from dark-tinted green to a brighter nuance towards the top. Iruka climbed the stem and, sitting astride, picked the best aromatic leaf. Yes, he was pretty satisfied. He grinned at himself before turning home’s way, his attention totally on tonight's expedition with Naruto…

… and pushing those thoughts away at the glimpse of something standing in front of the magnolia tree. His eyes widened, his heart in his throat, as he could now name what he had seen.

 _Humans_.

A bunch of people with dark sleeveless clothes and light jackets stood silently near the old tree by the mansion. Strangely enough, their faces were all covered in different animal-shaped masks. He hadn’t picked up any sounds coming from them yet – Iruka actually doubted for a moment that maybe, _maybe_ , he had ingested a hallucinogenic mushroom by mistake as he was indeed having weird visions.

No, they _were_ real. There were _humans_ in the residence and he had to do his best not to be found.

He remembered to breathe in some air to fill his lungs as Iruka unconsciously held his breath. Resting against the stem, he slipped away among the bay foliage so he could reach the ground where he could cover himself behind some large shiso leaves. He shot a quick look at the humans. The one with a dog-shaped mask tilted his head lazily towards the landscape, but it didn’t seem to Iruka that neither him nor the others were actually aware of his presence. He then continued his escape, sneaking carefully off rocks and fallen leaves. Only when he turned around the corner Iruka allowed himself to dash out in full fury to the iron grate, hurriedly entering their shelter. He drew a sigh of faint relief — still, he could feel his heart bursting in his chest.

The moment he disappeared across the cold grate, he finally felt safe.

֎֎֎

His shoulders were still stiffened in wariness as he took a seat at the table in the petit living space. Iruka stared intently at the golden infusion placed before him — the image of the odd humans in the clearing was now imprinted in his mind.

After all those years — five years, _damnit!_ — he never had encountered humans. Well, the two old ladies in yukata who always made arrangements into the mansion didn’t really count; they were responsible for cleaning and supplying nourishments every two weeks.

The old ladies were never late, always efficient, with no wasted efforts nor unnecessary noises. Their footsteps, too, were quiet. Every time they would come back carrying several boxes and, after wrapping them, put them away on the shelves. They would stack groceries, medical and house supplies. Work was usually done in barely twenty minutes, and after that the two ladies would just leave the mansion for another two weeks.

Iruka monitored their movements from afar. He hadn’t risked to take advantage of their supplies — only _occasionally_. Even though he did never understand whom they were destined to.

 _Now it makes sense_ , Iruka thought. The mansion was probably used as transit accommodation. Still, considering the quantity of supplies there, he assumed the new bunch of humans would stay for, approximately, a maximum of a full week — and he really hoped so.

“ ’Ruka-sensei!”

Naruto happily giggled and buried his blond head against his chest while wrapping him in a hug.

“Is there something ya need? I’ll borrow for you tonight!”

In front of the kid’s cheerful unawareness, Iruka could only make a wounded expression.

“Naruto…” He looked at him. “There’s humans in the residence.”

Naruto opened his eyes wide, now staring at him in surprise. Iruka tried to stay calm, his lips perking up in a reassuring smile. Even if he was just a kid, Naruto was quite empathetic — he could _sense_ Iruka’s change of mood.

“We’re still going tonight, aren’t we? ‘Ruka-sensei?” He asked softly.

Iruka opened his mouth, but shut it immediately.

He was about to say no to him, _again_. In this kind of situation it was undoubtedly better to be more careful than usual. To stay hidden, and not get caught. That’s what had been taught to him long ago.

But how could he keep denying Naruto’s curiosity? Iruka himself knew that the longer he would restrain him, the more they would call for distancing themselves and raising grudges in the future.

And Naruto, who he had doted upon, was the only family he had.

He stared at the kid for a moment and showed off his best mischievous smile. “Why shouldn’t we? Tonight’s only a quick demonstration, am I right?”

Naruto gasped, open-mouthed. He blinked at Iruka in disbelief, then grinned back at him. “Yeah, I’m telling ya!”, Naruto laughed waving a clenched fist in the air.

Iruka snorted. “Moreover, those humans are youngsters and nothing special. They’ll get bored and go to bed early.”

“You’re a youngster, too, ‘Ruka-sensei!”

“What did you say, you brat?!”

Iruka stood up, caught in the momentum, and started tickling the kid’s waist, definitely taking him off guard. Naruto tried to sneak out from the hold of the older amongst the laughter, and to do so the kid slipped through Iruka’s legs to stick his tiny and ticklishing fingers on the sensei’s back. Soon, before Iruka could do anything about it, Naruto hugged him. The enthusiasm of the motion almost Made Iruka lose his balance, still he managed to stop his fall with his arms. He laid down on the floor, Naruto resting on his back.

“Ok _ok_ , you won!” Iruka gasped, both of them breathless with laughter. Rolling on the floor to stare at each other, Iruka sighed heavily as Naruto grinned widely at him. He smiled back, an idea taking shape in his head.

Did he do it right, _mother, father_?

**Author's Note:**

> wisteria spot:  _“welcome”_
> 
> welcome, new readers, and thank you for reading and passing by. It’s my first time writing about kakairu, only recently I joined the naruto fandom (better late than never) and I am utterly fond of this pairing. I took the idea from Studio Ghibli’s Arrietty, an AU full of cottagecore energies ( and i wanted to imagine pocket size Iruka ꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡ ).
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. See you with the next chapter!


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